The Year In Review

[GoZips]

Men's Soccer National Champions it just does not get any sweeter than that.

The coming Fall should once again be kind to the Zips as Caleb works his magic. Probably

MAC champs and a trip to the Sweet 16. Be a pretty good follow on year when you have

to replace seven starters from a National champion team.

With the incredible back line devastated look for many more shots on goal and David Meves

showing his true abilities (not pretty). IMO the Zips would be far better served with Anthony

Ponikvar between the pipes. But, I'm just a dumb arsed fan.

Football millions spent with bad results, soon to be on display again.

I am quite optimistic. I'll go out on a limb and predict a giddy 5-7 campaign. A season of

frustrated promise. Dropped balls and missed tackles; still light years better than 2010.

Women's Basketball Robbed of an outstanding season by a defector. A bum if you will.

The ladies did themselves proud. By late season they were maturing into a decent team.

They put a scare in the soon to be WNIT champions in the MAC tourney. 2011 looms.

By all indications the Murphyless Ladies will still put on a grand show and nearly capture

the MAC crown. Coach Kest has them believing. Cut down the senseless, mindless

turnovers and the Ladies actually could go dancing. Its right there for the taking.

Men's Basketball Akron's crown jewel. Yes, even more than the great soccer team.

2010-11 squad proved their medal. They came together and produced. A trip to the dance

being the reward to further sweeten the joyous taste of tripping the Flushes twice. Especially

the MAC championship game. They sent Cant packing with their tails between their legs

and put a ton of egg on all the voters who made Geno "I'm headed out of town" Plymouth

their choice for Choke, er, coach of the Year.

If you still don't believe in the Zips, consider this; Cant won two road games in the NIT against

two higher seeded opponents. Losing to Akron cost the Flushers the seed they really deserved

which should have been first or second, not seventh. A job well done by the Staters.

The future is looking bright. The Zips are under the radar what with all eyes on Cant and their

four, I can't believe we lost to Akron twice, starters.

The men need to work hard over the Spring and Summer in the weight room and on the

practice court. Harney and Treadwell need to be everything they are taunted to be. Zeke

needs another twenty-five pounds and a tougher demeanor. Charles Thomas, that's your

assignment. Take Zeke to the next level. Well, three or four levels higher.

You all are slobbering all over yourselves about Quincy Diggs. I say, posh. Diggs MUST get

his head out of his arse and put on straight or he will be little more than a pain. Some one

has to make Q-man realize that he is a barrel of untapped talent. Right now he is running on

a thimble full of talent. Diggs is way out of control. He has the capability of being a GREAT

player. First, however, his ego needs an attitude adjustment.

Q-man, you are on a team. It is not a one man show. You get better by making your team

mates better. Do what the coaches tell you to do. They will make you better. More better

than you dream of. Learn to dribble. Read the floor. Take command and communicate

on those dribble drives. Find a partner; a go to outlet then take it to the hoop. You know

what I mean.

My wish is for Quincy to become the best sixth man in the conference. Yeah, his ego and a

lot of fans want him to be a starter. I want him to be the best ball player he is capable of.

Having that much talent coming in off the bench could give the Zips an explosive firepower

they have not seen since Jamie Bosley or Marcel Boyce. note: some twit will point out

that they were both starters, mark my words.

The true key to making 2011-12 a season to cherish lies with the Serb. If he stays the Zips

will be a top twenty-five program by tournament time and getting the recognition. They

are oh so close. Trust me.

Just recently my heart stopped palpitating from seeing Coach Dambrot's mug in a four by

four photo on the home page of the Dayton Flyer's fan blog. Gives me a boost to know that

their selection committee is even dumber than ours. Yes, you, Wistrcill. I give you credit.

You are actually learning your job and getting better at it. If your side kick brings home

a 2-10 or even a 3-9 season you have to kick him to the curb.

[Derrt]

Are you serious? What season have you been watching? Diggs is very unselfish, and a great team player. And this ego you speak of I have never seen in action. I think you are just a hater. I doubt Diggs will come off the becnh next year, his work ethic this off season will not allow it. I bet you will be eating your negative words next season.

[Captain Kangaroo]

IMO - Diggs it the guy I'm most looking forward to seeing next October.

His progression from Day #1 through the season's final game, and Dambrot's incrementally progressive Q-factor confidence was a great story to watch unfold.

People forget Diggs was a happy camper at New Orleans until their program dropped to D-III. The kid goes from eating gumbo & muffaletta ... playing hoops and tossing beads...to Akron Ohio, Skyway and some guy named Dambrot whom he's essentially never heard of tearing him a new a-hole in practice every day. And don't forget Q's from Kansas. Kansas-to-New Orleans-to-Akron within one school year is pretty tough on a 19-year old.

Still, as time progressed he worked hard and became a key contributor @ year's end.

He's Quade (another "Q"), but with skills. Raw skills, but real, high-level skills none-the-less.

He needs to work on his man defense. But his gambling style and long length made him an an excellent zone defender last season. He's the best ball-hawk we've seen since Jimmal Ball. If he gets his "man" footwork down, he'll be the #1 lock-down defender in the MAC. And, he'll give our upcoming BCS-level opponents fits too. These guys will know all about Zeke... Q is going to be a shock.

His 3-point shot is sweet. He has great rotation. And he seems to pick his spots well too...he doesn't hoist the ball recklessly.

He is our best one-on-one baller. I agree he needs to improve his handling skills, but towards the end of year #1 with the Zips, he got to the hole against just about anyone, at any time.

The kid's got an on-court, nasty demeanor. He will get his share of technicals before his career is over. But the Zips need a bad-ass. If Q can keep his temper on the edge, without going over it, I'll be ecstatic.

Is Q a 6th Man? I don't think so. B McKnight accepted that role because he was such a one-dimensional player. Q has the potential to do it all. You want him on the court from the opening tip. I like McClanahan in the #6 spot in 2011-12.

Rebounding? He needs to work on it a bit. His athleticism will allow him to out-leap a lot of guys. But his gambling defensive nature doesn't put him in the best rebounding position some times. With improved defensive footwork will come better rebounding position. The nearest old-school Zips with Q's skill set was Marcel Boyce. And Boyce was at his best soaring over the likes of Michigan's Roy Tarpley and Pitt's Charles Smith. I think Q can can be that type of guy.

Q's whirlwind tour is now over. He knows his teammates. He knows his coaches. He can finally settle down in Akron, unpack his bags and focus on school and hoops.

I think his best attribute is he's a great competitor. Guys like that work hard. Big things await him this upcoming season. And remember - I'm the guy that told everyone McClanahan was going to bust out in 2010-11.

[Zip Watcher]

Great post, CK.

I expect the writers will push the Zips down the pre-season on the loss of 4 seniors who won a TON of games & two titles. On the other hand, I don't remember the Zips ever having a core group of guys coming back like Marshall, Abreu & Diggs .. who all have shown high upsides & have multiple years left in the program. We're not in need of any of these guys to go Conyers in their last year .. they need to just progress and improve over the summer for the Zips to have really advanced athletically in a way that IMHO the league isn't prepared for.

That's before I think about Gilliam, Walsh & the others.

B) B)

Go Zips!

[Dr Z]

Great post, CK.

I totally agree. I didn't want to pick on GoZips post which I mostly enjoyed. But I'm REALLY excited to watch Q next year. I hope he works hard because he has mad skilz! Hopefully when he gets comfortable with KD's system some other parts of his game come around to elevate him to a Mac elite.

[Blue & Gold]

Great post, CK.

I totally agree. I didn't want to pick on GoZips post which I mostly enjoyed. But I'm REALLY excited to watch Q next year. I hope he works hard because he has mad skilz! Hopefully when he gets comfortable with KD's system some other parts of his game come around to elevate him to a Mac elite.

I believe "skillz" is spelled with two "L's". And yes, Q gots 'em!

[Hilltopper]

At the beginning of the year there were lots of "Oh No" moments when Q was on the floor. By the end of the season those had turned into "Oh Yes" moments for the most part. I think the latter will be more on exhibit next season.

[Dave in Green]

Great analysis, CK.

It's an absolute delight to watch a player improve on a steady upward curve almost game to game. Q went from brief flashes of brilliance in his first game as a Zip to a go-to guy by the end of the season. Of course he was still making a few mistakes at the end of the season. But the sloppy plays were more than offset by the great plays.

If Q didn't get any better than he was at the end of last season, he'd still be a strong contributor. If he continues to improve this season at the same rate as last, the sky's the limit. His raw skills alone are impressive. Add maturity and better decision-making, and Q could be all-MAC.

Whether he starts or comes off the bench as the sixth man depends on the chemistry of this season's team. If the Serb returns and joins Rico in the starting lineup, adding Q as a starter puts a lot of spark on the floor at once. Who provides the spark when the starters head to the bench? You need at least one player on the floor at all times who can stretch the other team's defense.

I've always believed that who starts games is not as important as who finishes games. It's more important to have your best players on the floor in crunch time than at the beginning of the game. Starters don't always necessarily get the longest minutes, either. You could have a starter who only averages about 15 minues of PT and a sixth man who averages 25.

I'm really looking forward to watching KD experiment with various lineups this season. I expect the rotation to remain flexible well into the season as KD figures out which combination of players on the floor at various times during the game gives the team their best chance to win.

[Dr Z]

I've always believed that who starts games is not as important as who finishes games. It's more important to have your best players on the floor in crunch time than at the beginning of the game. Starters don't always necessarily get the longest minutes, either. You could have a starter who only averages about 15 minues of PT and a sixth man who averages 25.

My favorite offensive play KD called this year was the Q iso at the end of the half in the mac tourney game. When you are calling plays like that for Q, he won't be sitting the bench much next season IMO.

[Quickzips]

I'll weigh in on Q here. Like others have already said, there is a lot of potential there, but he is still a ways away from a finished product. It's mostly on him to put it all together. A lot of the mistakes he made last year were simply mental. Playing a little out of control at times, or gambling a little too much. This is where I'd really like to see Nik back for another year, as I think Q could learn a lot from Nik in terms of playing on the edge, but still being under control.

As far as the suggestion to move Nitro to the 6th man role and start Q, I couldn't disagree more. To me, you move Nitro to the starting SG spot and start Q at the SF spot. Nitro is our top returning 3 point shooter. The value of having a guy out there who can space the floor and knock down long jump shots is only going to be accentuated when you've got guys on the floor like Q and Abreu who look to attack the hoop and get to the basket. I personally think our best starting backcourt/wing combination will probably be Alex, Nitro and Q. I would hate to be a Zips opponent having to defend that. Alex and Q attacking the basket with a 39% 3 point shooter camped out behind the line waiting for kick-outs, plus Zeke and (fingers crossed) Nik. Good luck trying to defend that. Those are the guys I want out there to start the game. Now I don't know what to expect at this point from Walsh, Gilliam, Harney, Treadwell, Justice, Ibitayo, and to a certain extent Egner and Euton. Maybe one or more of those guys will show up and shake things up. But I know where we stand now, I want Alex, Q and Nitro on the floor together as much as possible.

[Dave in Green]

Quickzips, great point about comparing Nik and Q. The Serb really played under control this past season without becoming too mechanical and predictable, and it would be great if Q could do the same. The risk in trying to "settle down" a player like the Serb or Q is that if you take too much of the gambler out of them, they become too predictable and defensible. I'm willing to accept a few dumb mistakes if they're offset by many brilliant moves that leave defenders on their heels.

Absolutely agree that those are the Zips five best proven players. Until someone else proves themselves worthy, those are the five players who should get the most PT. They don't necessarily need to be the five starters. But they deserve the most PT until someone steps forward and earns more.

[GoZips]

Are you serious? What season have you been watching? Diggs is very unselfish, and a great team player. And this ego you speak of I have never seen in action. I think you are just a hater. I doubt Diggs will come off the becnh next year, his work ethic this off season will not allow it. I bet you will be eating your negative words next season.

Serious? Absolutely. Apparently you can not read well. First off; I never mentioned that Quincy is selfish. YOU

injected that. My reference is that he does not read the floor well at this point in his career. This has to improve.

As for being called a "hater" I suggest two things. One write me an apology as you are completely out of line.

As for coming off the bench; being the sixth man is a valuable position. It means that this player will get equal

floor time as the starting five (usually about twenty-five minutes). It also means this player is probably the

third or fourth best player on the team. It also implies that he/she will often be called upon to play several

different positions when on the floor.

In Quincy's case; he can ablely play the small forward, shooting guard and even the point guard positions.

Quincy has demontrated this past season that he can play all three of these roles. And you call me a "hater"?

Quincy still has a ton of improvement to go. As I stated previously, he has a barrel of talent. He just needs

to continue to develop his skills and expand his worth to the team. Like you, young lady, he has to keep his

emotions in check. Running amuck on the court will only lead to a seat deep on the bench. Akron fans who

have been watching the Zips a lot longer than you as well aware of how far down the bench Nikola played

himself when he was a freshman and sophomore.

Blow ups, fights, technical fouls damage the team. Akron has a history of riding Cant State players for the

Flushers cheap shot plays. We do not want Quincy to be a target of Cant taunts. We desire that Q play to

the level he is capable of. Which, by the way, is several levels better than he has shown thus far.

Zips fans, me included, want Quincy to leave Akron with a great legacy and tons of wonderful memories.

[Derrt]

First off I am a man.

"His ego needs an attitude adjustment. Q-man, you are on a team. It is not a one man show."

Sounds like you are implying that he is selfish. You can hold your breath on that apology you’re looking for. And it seems to me that you are the one getting emotional. Who cares how long you or I have been watching the Zips, your post was about this previous season.

[Dave in Green]

Everyone has made some good observations about Q. They may differ slightly, but that's to be expected because we all see things differently due to our personalities, backgrounds, and experience.

The key point is that we all appear to agree that Q has an immense amount of talent, and we all want him to continue to grow until he fully realizes his great potential. Since no one is perfect, it's fair to try to point out areas where each of us thinks Q could improve.

Instead of trying to pick a word or phrase out of someone's post and pounce on it as a negative, why not try to take more of an overall view of what that person is saying and see that it is mostly positive. If someone disagrees with what they think someone said, why not ask them about it instead of jumping in their face?

For example, I disagree if anyone thinks that Q needs a major attitude adjustment to realize he is on a team and not a one-man show. Q made a good attitude adjustment throughout the course of last season, and he began making more passes and dishing off his drives instead of always shooting. In fact, there was a period when he was almost too reluctant to shoot. So while it's fair to say that he needs to continue to work on decision-making about the best time to shoot and the best time to pass, I don't see him as a totally selfish player, and I think GoZips' choice of words may have overstated that point.

It's important to remember that Q is probably the best one-on-one player the Zips have, and we don't want him to stop playing to that strength. The fact that KD turned him loose in the MAC tournament to signal to clear out the lane and then drive when everyone on the defense knew exactly what he was going to do was a huge show of confidence from KD, who doesn't often turn players loose to go one-on-one. The fact that Q was able to beat the defense when they knew what he was going to do shows that KD's confidence was well placed. Truth is, there will be times when Q will be called upon to be a one-man show, and I think we're all pretty confident he can deliver.

Sometimes being a one-man show is the best thing a player can do to help his team. The critical factor is knowing when to try to do it and when not to. That comes with experience and maturity. Q is getting there. Some fans just may be a little more impatient than others about seeing Q develop into a potential NBA draft pick. To reach that status, he will have to greatly improve every aspect of his game. Few college players even have the potential to be an NBA draft pick, and only a handful fully realize their potential.

It's pretty amazing to think that the Zips have two players on the roster who even have a shot at the NBA. If you want to talk about putting Zips basketball on the map, how outrageous would it be if Zeke and Q both fully develped their potential over the next two seasons and ended up being selected in the 2013 NBA draft? The odds are way against it. But at least the potential is there.

[GP1]

First off I am a man.

"His ego needs an attitude adjustment. Q-man, you are on a team. It is not a one man show."

Sounds like you are implying that he is selfish. You can hold your breath on that apology you’re looking for. And it seems to me that you are the one getting emotional. Who cares how long you or I have been watching the Zips, your post was about this previous season.

Well done!

Rarely do you get to see one poster so eloquently tell another poster to go "F" himself.

For future reference I speak the truth, there are a lot of masochists who post on the basketball portion of the board on a regular basis. They believe their opinion is final because they attend every game and someone who sees the team only a few times a year can't possibly have a good opinion. A good way to analyze the Zips is to watch what the masochists post, and think the opposite.

Another good way to see how the Zips are playing is to look for how and if Zip Watcher posts about a game. He's a good poster and a smart basketball observer. Sometimes his man crush on KD causes him to overstate how good the team may be, but everyone has their reasons for what they say. If the Zips are stinking up the JAR, you won't hear a word from him. He lives by the rule that if you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all. If the Zips are playing well, evidence of the "building process" is evident.

In general....well, just click on my signature.....

[Dave in Green]

No one has a lock on reality in this forum.

[meatwad]

No one has a lock on reality in this forum.

That's becoming more and more evident daily.

[Hilltopper]

Well done!

Rarely do you get to see one poster so eloquently tell another poster to go "F" himself.

For future reference I speak the truth, there are a lot of masochists who post on the basketball portion of the board on a regular basis. They believe their opinion is final because they attend every game and someone who sees the team only a few times a year can't possibly have a good opinion. A good way to analyze the Zips is to watch what the masochists post, and think the opposite.

Another good way to see how the Zips are playing is to look for how and if Zip Watcher posts about a game. He's a good poster and a smart basketball observer. Sometimes his man crush on KD causes him to overstate how good the team may be, but everyone has their reasons for what they say. If the Zips are stinking up the JAR, you won't hear a word from him. He lives by the rule that if you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all. If the Zips are playing well, evidence of the "building process" is evident.

In general....well, just click on my signature.....

You forgot the smilies again....or

http://zipsnation.org/forums//index.php?s=...st&p=140166

[Derrt]

Right On GP1

[GoZips]

Its too bad that the board admin(s) chose to edit my second point regarding the poster who

claims to (sic) speak the truth. Then allows GP1 and others to vilify my integrity with cheap shots.

Oh well.

I suppose I should withhold valuable basketball updates as pay back. After all, I am one person

who actually can be invited into KD's office. I was there today. I have good news to report.

First off, the schedule is coming together. The Zips hope to play two high majors. No deal is signed

as of this date. Also being worked on is a fresh home-n-home with Rhode Island. Games with

VCU (Dec. 29th), Valpo and Duquense are booked. The Zips open on the road at Cleveland State.

The coaching staff is high on Quincy Diggs (as am I). Q has set a number of high goals for the

coming season. Excellent goals to be sure. The one I like best is to be the "MAC Defensive

Player of the Year". This is quite a goal for a young man short on defensive skills. However,

Q is working with the coaches to reach that goal. I can report that he has put on ten pound of

muscle. He is first in, last out in the gym. We discussed Q at length. Unfortunately for many

of you, my assessment is a lot closer to the coaching staff's than yours are.

I saved the best news for last. And a couple of posters know that what I am about to reveal

they learned from me during the NCAA tourney. Nikola Cvetinovic is coming back for his

senior season.

For those who doubt me, ask at Friday's Awards Banquet. As Nik is already back on campus.

[Dave in Green]

I can verify that GoZips revealed to me during the NCAA tournament the good news about the Serb, with a request not to share the confidential information until it was made public.

I may not agree with every detail of every assessment GoZips makes. But he is without question more knowledgeable than the typical phony blowhards you run into on every sports forum who spend more time promoting their own self-perceived greatness than sharing good, factual sports information with other forum members.

[Derrt]

Yo! GoZips High five bro-ham. Thanks for the update. Tell KD I said hola next time you're in his office.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Its too bad that the board admin(s) chose to edit my second point regarding the poster who

claims to (sic) speak the truth. Then allows GP1 and others to vilify my integrity with cheap shots.

Oh well.

I suppose I should withhold valuable basketball updates as pay back. After all, I am one person

who actually can be invited into KD's office.

From an "admin" -- You blatently, incorrectly accused IST of calling you a racist. That was totally out of line. I deleted it. We don't take that crap here lightly.

Withhold whatever Zips info you want. I could care less. Go away forever. ZipsNation will roll on.

If you enjoy this board, be grateful I didn't delete your entire post, instead of 2 sentences. It was easily justifiable to do so.

If you get something deleted on ZipsNation, don't puff your chest full of hubris. Don't pose an incredulous look and play the victim. Look in the mirror for the reason why.

CK

[GoZips]

Its too bad that the board admin(s) chose to edit my second point regarding the poster who

claims to (sic) speak the truth. Then allows GP1 and others to vilify my integrity with cheap shots.

Oh well.

I suppose I should withhold valuable basketball updates as pay back. After all, I am one person

who actually can be invited into KD's office.

From an "admin" -- You blatently, incorrectly accused IST of calling you a racist. That was totally out of line. I deleted it. We don't take that crap here lightly.

Withhold whatever Zips info you want. I could care less. Go away forever. ZipsNation will roll on.

If you enjoy this board, be grateful I didn't delete your entire post, instead of 2 sentences. It was easily justifiable to do so.

If you get something deleted on ZipsNation, don't puff your chest full of hubris. Don't pose an incredulous look and play the victim. Look in the mirror for the reason why.

CK

Cap'n, when a poster calls some one a "hater" that is a backhanded reference to being a racist.

[Dr Z]

when a poster calls some one a "hater" that is a backhanded reference to being a racist.

Not from where I come from. Urban dictionary definition